News

Balakian Tour Ends with Melbourne Lectures

Wednesday, 30 April 2008

Under the auspices of the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee, Peter Balakian continued his lecture tour of Australia after a week in Sydney with a week of lectures in Melbourne. On Saturday April 26, Balakian gave the keynote address to the Armenian community of Melbourne before an audience of about five hundred, and the following evening spoke at the opening of the new library collection at the Armenian community hall, where he praised the community for the high value it places on books and their role in maintaining culture.

On Monday evening, Balakian spoke at Monash Universityâ€™s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies on a panel "Commemoration and Mourning: The Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, and ANZAC" chaired by Dr. Donna-Lee Frieze of Deakin University and Michelle Langfield of Deakin University. Balakian was joined by Professor Alistair Tomson of Monash who spoke about Australian memory and ANZAC and Professor Leah Garrett of Monash who discussed ways of commemorating the Holocaust.

On Wednesday afternoon Balakian lectured to Dr. Paul Bartropâ€™s students in his genocide studies class at Bialek College, and in the evening at the magnificent State Library of Victoria under the sponsorship of PEN Melbourne and its director, the novelist Arnold Zable. Balakian spoke about the impact of the April 24th arrests on Armenian literature, the 82 writers killed in the by the Ottoman government during the Genocide. In paying tribute, Balakian showed an extensive power point and read a description of the arrests of the intellectuals from Grigoris Balakianâ€™s memoir Armenian Golgotha and poems by Siamanto, Daniel Varoujan, Vahan Tekeyan, Gostan Zarian, and Donabed Lulejian. Following the readings, a tribute to Hrant Dink included reflections by Mr. Zable and PEN secretary Jackie Mansourian. Balakian concluded the session with a discussion of the Turkish publisher Ragip Zarakolu and his urgent need for support as he faces a possible jail sentence for publishing books on the Armenian Genocide.

On Thursday May 1, Balakian spoke about his memoir "Black Dog of Fate", for Deakin Universityâ€™s series "Secret Silences and Betrayal" which was hosted by Dr. Lynne Starr and Dr. Donna-Lee Frieze, and on Thursday evening, Balakian lectured for Yom Hashoa at the Jewish Holocaust Center in Melbourne. Hosted by director Bernard Korbman, Dr. Donna-Lee Frieze, who introduced the evening with a lecture on Raphael Lemkin and the evolution of the concept of genocide. Frieze noted the impact of the Armenian Genocide on Lemkinâ€™s thinking. Balakian concluded with a lecture on the relationship and impact of the Armenian Genocide on the Holocaust. A ceremony of candle lighting for the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and the 1.5 million Armenians killed in the Genocide preceded the lecture and Mr. Korbman closed the evening with a call for Jews and Armenians to work together in their efforts to educate the world on their histories which bear so much in common.

"Professor Balakian has educated thousands of Sydney and Melbourne Australians over the past fortnight on the need for the international community to demand Turkey recognises the Armenian Genocide," said Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee representative, Mr. Vache Kahramanian. "The events in Sydney and Melbourne have added voice to the devastating human rights issue of Genocide with impunity."